Consul General in Ekaterinburg opened a LGBT film festival organised by Side by Side

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the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

This is the first time Side by Side arranged such a festival in Ekaterinburg, having done so in many other Russian cities.

Speaking at the opening, Consul General James McGuire said ‘The UK Government is clear that discrimination is never acceptable and is committed to combating violence and discrimination against LGBT people as an integral part of our international human rights work.’

The opening film, Anyone and Everyone, was a documentary exploring the effects upon the parents when their children ‘come out’. This was important since many gay teens who come out to their parents or guardians are told they must leave home, leaving them an especially vulnerable group in society with many LGBT teenagers facing persecution, exploitation, drug or alcohol abuse, or commit suicide.